Emmelie de Forest From Denmark Smokes The Competition In Eurovision Finale

20-year-old songstress Emmelie de Forest secured the Eurovision crown for Denmark, during last night’s finale in Malmo, Sweden, Reuters reports. 26 acts competed in the grandiose final, but de Forest was a favorite to win from the onset. The singer appeared onstage barefoot and performed an evocative ballad, “Only Teardrops,” backed by a flute, a pair of drummers and of course, her backup singers. The young winner remained modest after clinching her victory, though.

De Forest performed against a fiery background.

"I could feel the fans and all the energy in the arena," de Forest said after the event, adding that she was particularly proud to win in Sweden as her late father was Swedish and a Eurovision fan.

“It's a once in a lifetime experience. I'm just the happiest girl in the world,” she said.

It wasn’t exactly an unexpected win. In fact, Emmelie took the lead after just half the voice were cast and remained steadfast at the top through to the end of voting. Azerbaijan took second place in the competition with "Hold Me", followed by third place for Ukraine with "Gravity". After it was all said and done, de Forest closed the show with a second performance of her winning song. This time, however, it was clearly more difficult for her to get into the song’s mood and she wore a victorious expression throughout, in clear contrast with the scornful lyrics: "How many times can we win and lose? How many times can we break the rules between us? Only teardrops." Clearly, the only teardrops de Forest would be shedding that night were tears of joy.